See who's going to be a Phillie for a long time

Posted by Mandy Housenick | April 26, 2010 at 03:22 PM

That huge house Ryan Howard built in the Philly suburbs within the last few years certainly won’t go to waste or be on the market anytime soon.

The 30-year-old just signed a five-year contract extension with a club option for a sixth year that could take him through the 2017 season, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today while the team is on the West Coast.

The deal guarantees Howard $125 million over five years and could reach $138 million over six years.

Howard will make $20 million in 2012 and 2013 and then $25 million from 2014-16. If he stays for the 2017 season, he would rake in $23 million. The buyout is $10 million. The extension includes bonuses and a limited no-trade clause.

The left-hander is hitting .275 this season with three home runs and 16 RBIs. He’s started all 18 of the Phillies’ games.

Howard, a first baseman, already has an array of awards and honors. He was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2005 and then followed that up with the MVP award in 2006. He’s a two-time all-star (2006, 2009), won the Silver Slugger Award (2006) and was the NLCS MVP last season.

The Missouri native is the club’s single-season home run leader (58) and career postseason RBI leader (27).

Since becoming an everyday player on July 1, 2005, Howard leads all major leaguers in home runs (222) and RBIs (650). Last year, he became just the fourth player in MLB history to have four straight 40 home run/130 RBI seasons, joining Babe Ruth (7 times), Ken Griffey Jr. (4) and Sammy Sosa (4). He also became the fastest player ever to hit 100 and 200 home runs. His 200th long ball came in his 658th game, beating Ralph Kiner’s record by 48 games.

Howard, surprisingly, was not an early-round draft pick. He was actually taken in the fifth round in the 2001 draft.

With the money they’re spending, the club just needs to hope he can keep his defense steady enough to remain reliable at first base. He’s going to need to continue to work with Sam Perlozzo. This seems like a great move now. The Phillies just need him to look like a complete player for the next 6-7 years and not a guy (down the line) who looks like he should be a DH somewhere in the American League.